Ong-Bak

Tony Jaa's insurance premiums must be a nightmare. He is the newest martial arts star from Thailand, whose stunts and fights are absolutely organic, free-range, non-GM and real - no digital trickery or wires. He revives the memory of a young Jackie Chan.

This wildly enjoyable action thriller is about a young monk from a remote village, schooled in the ancient fighting art of Muay Thai, who travels to Bangkok to retrieve the stolen head of his village's Buddha statue. He solemnly undertakes to his master that he will never use the terrifying fighting skills of which he is capable. Naturally, circumstances force him reluctantly to break this promise and give some big-city bullies the beating of their lives.

In Bangkok, we get a terrific free-running chase sequence: Jaa hurdles high walls, launches himself through absurdly unlikely hoops and slithers under cars. It's all high-octane entertainment and the stunts have the sweat and adrenaline of something happening in real life and not on a laptop computer.

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